York schools, constitutional officers to get additional funding

York

non-profit funding cut

March 28, 2010|By By Jon Cawley | 757-247-4635

YORK — York supervisors moved Saturday to provide more money to the county's school system and constitutional officers to offset state-inflicted funding woes and plugged a nearly $1.2 million budget hole.

In addition to what is in the county's $124.6 million proposed operating budget for fiscal year 2011, York schools will now get $600,000 more than was recently requested. York's sheriff, treasurer, commissioner of the revenue and clerk of the circuit court will split an additional $240,000. The sheriff's office will get another $120,000 for costs related to 10 deputy positions that will remain filled. York will also comply with a requirement to return $230,000 in state provided revenues.

But the budget changes come at the expense of nearly two dozen civic and cultural organizations, several regional partnerships and other programs or services that will lose funding.

The civic and cultural organizations will see contributions — already reduced by five percent from the current fiscal year — drop across the board by another 50 percent, while the regional groups' funding was trimmed piecemeal. Total savings will be $123,675 and $44,193 respectively.

Supervisors agreed to outsource concessions at the York County Sports Complex to save $50,000 and leave several vacant positions unfilled to gain another $150,000. Reducing curbside recycling collections to twice monthly will save $100,000 more.

Bringing highway corridor landscape maintenance in-house will save $175,000. Another $543,000 was recovered through a reduction in required life insurance premium payments and a board decision not to provide level funding to a retirement benefits liability program.

After more than three hours of negotiations, all but about $4,000 of the $1,190,000 gap was closed. York County administrator James O. McReynolds ended the maneuvering by telling the board he could pull the rest from county operations.

Supervisors canceled a planned Tuesday night budget work session. Formal budget adoption is set for April 6.